


The Winter Rose

by AlessiaHeartilly



Category: Final Fantasy VIII
Genre: Alternate Universe, F/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2013-05-13
Updated: 2013-05-13
Packaged: 2017-12-11 18:59:45
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 12,544
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/802080
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/AlessiaHeartilly/pseuds/AlessiaHeartilly
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>As a child, Rinoa has been cursed: she has to find her true love before turning eighteen, or her Time will be taken by the Mistress of Time and Space, Ultimecia. Squall has only six months to court her. The only problem is they can't stand each other. AU written for WiBi, rating for later scenes.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Prologue

**_Disclaimer_** : FFVIII is obviously not mine. The story is very, very, very slightly inspired by "Sleeping Beauty", but only for the curse. Everything else is mine.  
This story is not being betaread, so please if you find mistakes just tell me and I'll correct them. And if you want to propose yourself as betareader, feel free to do it :)  
Written for WiBi.

**THE WINTER ROSE  
Prologue**

Once upon a time, there was a little baby girl.

Her parents, King Caraway and Queen Julia, had a hard time having her. They tried and tried for years to have a child, but nothing seemed to work. One day, the King decided to ask for help from every magician and sorceress in his Kingdom: and many answered his plea.

Eight months later, a little girl cried for the first time in the royal palace's halls. King Caraway was so happy to finally have a child that he decided to have a big party in her honor. His wife chose to name her Rinoa, like her own late mother, and people started to move to his new castle. He had started building it when they found out they were expecting; and now it was summer in Centra, and the King wanted to celebrate his daughter's birth with the sun and the light and the warmth, because she was all those things to him.

Many invites were sent out, then. The King wanted every magician and sorceress who helped his wife during their time of distress, and Sorceress Edea was his honor guest. He was sure she was the one that finally found a solution, but he still wanted to celebrate everyone's help, like stating that his daughter's birth happened thanks to everyone's efforts. Their journey toward Centra started as happy as it could be for new parents, and they reached their new castle, near the sea and a flower field, with joyous smiles and content souls.

The night of the party, thousand of candles were littered in the garden, and the baby was sleeping peacefully in her crib. The parents were receiving congratulations from many friends and royal families, and everything looked perfectly fine. The magicians and sorceresses decided to bestow that baby, so wanted and desired and loved, with every gift they could give, and they approached the crib one by one, giving beauty, wisdom, happiness, playfulness and many other qualities to the little baby, who continued to sleep without knowing what was happening around her.

Edea approached the crib to bestow her own gift - she had thought of giving magic, not very much, just enough to help the baby keep her childhood forever - but just as she leaned on the crib to whisper her enchantment, the sky began to glow a dark unnatural hue, and an icy wind started chilling the guests. The baby slept, seemingly unaware of that sudden change, which seemed strange to Edea, but she didn't have the time to ponder on her intuition, because almost immediately she heard the sound of wings moving, and when she turned Ultimecia had landed in the castle's garden. Everyone fell silent, and the parents seemed horrified.

Ultimecia folded her wings and looked around with an almost cruel smile. "I see you're celebrating here," she started.

The King swallowed hard, and then tried to answer. "Yes, we are."

"You know," said the Sorceress, walking slowly towards the King, and Queen Julia fought against the natural instinct to run to her daughter and keep her safe. She didn't want to anger this Sorceress more than they had evidently already done: that smile, those eyes, that aura of cruelty surrounding the woman, everything about Ultimecia spoke of anger and viciousness. "I thought you would invite me, too. I am one of the most powerful Sorceresses in your kingdom, maybe of the entire world. But I didn't receive anything and this is strange, because I am sure I did my best to help your wife conceive this cute little baby."

She was talking with a nauseating sweetness, dripping with venom.

"I'm sure this is some kind of mistake," said the King, trying not to tremble under those vicious yellow eyes. "We wanted to thank everyone, and I'm sure your invitation must have got lost somewhere. Please, accept my apologies. I would be honored if you would be my guest."

Ultimecia seemed to think about it, but then she simply shook her head in a way that could almost be interpreted as  _cheerful_. "No, I don't think I will,  _my King_ ," she answered, spitting those last two words. "I think I'll bestow a gift on this cute little baby, so she'll always remember me."

"Please don't," begged the King, eyes wide and stomach falling. "It's not her fault," he continued, because he knew very well the kind of gift Ultimecia used to bestow on children. "Please, she has only seven days. You can't possibly punish her for our faults. Please, punish me instead."

"Oh, but I  _ **am**_  punishing you," said Ultimecia, and her smile grew wider with cruelty and amusement. "Let me think. I want this gift to be  _ **special**_."

She approached the baby's crib and Queen Julia shot forward to keep her daughter safe, but Ultimecia simply raised her arm and stopped her cold on her feet. The Queen tried to move her legs, but they seemed glued to the ground; she could only watch her husband suffer the same fate when he tried to get to his daughter too. Everyone else didn't move; they didn't want to make the Sorceress even more vindictive.

Ultimecia looked at the baby, who was still sleeping peacefully. She raised her arms and started channeling a green sickening energy in her hands, and then released it on the crib. The baby moved, but didn't wake up.

"I am the Mistress of Time and Space," said the Sorceress, and the green energy started moving like a vortex above the baby's crib. Like darts of cruelty, it crept slowly through the baby's skin with every word the Sorceress spat. "I command your Time to be mine. You will find you true love and marry him before you eighteenth birthday, if you want to live. Until then, you will live in an eternal winter and will not be able to leave this castle. I command your Space to be so limited you will feel suffocated. At the end of your time, you'll be mine."

She moved her hands and then snapped her fingers, and the air grew so cold it started snowing, and by the time she started talking again, it seemed summer had never touched that castle. Snow everywhere, dead trees, dead flowers. The candles were still glowering, but that light seemed sick, almost dying; the King closed his eyes, because he had wanted a summer celebration because his daughter was like sun and light and warmth, and now she was cursed to live in eternal cold and grey light and snow. And it was his fault.

Ultimecia looked the baby until every single dart of her curse's energy entered the girl's skin. Then she turned, pleased with herself, and snapped her fingers to free the King and Queen. "Congratulations, Your Majesties," she said.

And then, with that sick joke as her last words, she spread her wings and flew away.

Queen Julia run to hug her daughter, crying. The King turned to Edea, looking at her with desperate eyes that asked for her help, when words failed him. Edea sighed and approached the crib, touching lightly the baby's cheek.

"You baby is infused with magic, now," she said. "I wanted to bestow her my magic as a gift, and now I want to do it more than ever. She will need my magic to battle the sick one Ultimecia has infused with her curse and her hate. Please, allow me to do it."

The Queen nodded, and Edea moved her hand on the baby, in a precise and ancient pattern. "You will be able to cure," she chanted. "You will be able to command elements and discover their beauty. You will be able to see what's right, and refuse what's evil and cruel."

Edea lowered her hand. "I can't do anything about the curse," she said at last, "but I can do something to make her life here a little more bearable." She turned and opened her arms, almost as if she wanted to embrace the entire garden. She chanted again under her breath, and every tree that died under Ultimecia's sickening magic blossomed again. Evergreens shot out of the ground around the castle's perimeter, and then Edea dedicated all her energy to create a bush of blue roses. "This will be your time, child," she said, exhausted, her energy completely spent. "Guard those roses as you guard your life and love."

There was a long silence, and everyone started leaving the party with a heavy heart. Edea, the parents and the baby where the only ones left when the King asked in a voice that didn't seem his own at all, "can't you really do anything about the curse?"

Edea shook her head, and another long silence followed her words. But at last she raised her head, her eyes wide with stupor and excitement clear in her voice when she spoke.

"I can't do anything about the curse," she said, touching the King's arm. "But I think I have an idea for the marriage that will break it."


	2. I: Tournament

**THE WINTER ROSE  
I. Tournament**

_Seventeen years later_

"Did you want to see me, sir?"

Cid Kramer raised his eyes from his desk, and smiled. "Yes. Please have a seat, Squall."

The boy obeyed and sat in front of his mentor. "Is there another mission, sir?"

"No, Squall, not at all." Cid got up and turned to stare out of his window. He was greeted by the blinding whiteness of the snow covering every single inch of the castle's grounds. "Do you know why SeeD exists, Squall?"

The boy seemed confused, but then shrugged his shoulders and answered. "To protect the Royal Family of Centra, sir."

Cid sighed, and turned to look at him. "Seventeen years ago, Princess Rinoa was born," he started. "We were celebrating in the garden of this castle when Sorceress Ultimecia, the Mistress of Time and Space, came here and cursed the girl."

Squall politely nodded, without really understanding what the older man was getting at.

"She has to find her true love before turning eighteen to break the spell. I was there, with my wife Edea, the Mistress of Nature and Healing. She tried to lessen the curse a little, and she had an idea... the yearly SeeD tournament." Cid looked at Squall expectantly, as if he was waiting for him to understand.

"The tournament?"

Cid nodded. "Yes, Squall. The tournament. We train cadets to become SeeD so they can join the tournament. We hope that living here they can get to know Princess Rinoa, and help her find her true love, the one that will break the curse. And we allow the tournament's winner to court the Princess."

"I don't understand what all this has to do with me, sir," said Squall, as politely as he could; he didn't want to offend his superior.

"You're young, Squall, but you're very talented. You are at the moment the highest ranking SeeD. I'd like you to join the tournament."

They both stayed silent for a while, Cid waiting for the boy's answer, and Squall trying to fully understand what the older man meant.

Then, swallowing hard, Squall tried to free himself of what he thought was a trap. "I'm not interested in courting the Princess, or any other woman for that matter."

"I don't want you to join just because of that, Squall," said Cid. "You don't  _ **have**_  to court the Princess. If you win, you'll just be  _ **allowed**_  to try. I just want you to join the tournament and show the King how talented you are. And I'm sure you will win, because there's no other gunblade expert as gifted as you are in the entire Kingdom."

Squall said nothing, and looked like he was trying to find an excuse to say no.

"Here are the names of the men that already joined," said Cid, pushing a piece of paper in front of the boy. "As you can see, there are several direct fights with the other men. You have to win every single fight to reach the final one, against last year's winner."

Cid watched carefully as Squall read all the names; he saw him narrow his eyes when he reached to the name of the previous year's winner.

"Take your time," he said, almost sure that Squall would accept now that he saw who won before him. "Think about it. Just think about all the possibilities. As I said, you're very talented. If you show the King how much, you can become the Commander of SeeD in no time."

He sat down at his desk, and Squall nodded, taking the paper with him.

"You can go, now. Just come back as soon as you decide. There's not much time left to join."

* * *

Almost immediately after seeing Squall exit Cid's office, Edea burst in.

The couple lived in the castle since Princess Rinoa's curse. After finding out that Ultimecia had infused the baby with magic, and her own gift, Edea had asked the King to stay in the castle, so she could help the Princess to learn how to use magic properly. The King agreed, and after hearing her idea about a tournament to find a suitor for Rinoa, hoping she could fall in love and marry before turning eighteen, he also asked Cid to train boys from all over the world as SeeDs that could join the yearly tournament. They hoped it would work: Rinoa couldn't leave the castle's perimeter, and almost no one came to visit her. This was the only way she could meet boys of her age and hopefully find the one that could break the curse. The Queen was so grateful that she asked Edea to be her daughter's governess, and the sorceress gladly accepted.

So, after meeting Squall, the year before, Edea had immediately thought he was the one for Princess Rinoa. She had talked about it to her husband, who pushed him especially on training; they both thought he could be the one to finally break the curse. He was a serious boy who seemed uninterested in girls and social relationships. He was very talented in using the gunblade, so he would be a fine Commander of the entire SeeD unit. He was handsome and young and intriguing enough to sparkle curiosity in the young Princess, bored by her secluded like, so far away from everything a girl should learn of the world. With the tournament date finally approaching, Edea had basically been talking about it for days, and Cid had finally given up arguing and asked Squall to join in the tournament.

He didn't think it would work, though: Squall didn't care about the real prize. He had been wise enough to skip every tournament's rule related to the mandatory relationship with Princess Rinoa.

"So, what did he say?" asked Edea, almost breathless.

"He's not interested in courting Princess Rinoa, or any woman," answered Cid, sighing. "But after he saw who won last year, I think he will accept. He would never miss a duel with Seifer, after all. Maybe he will join just to fight with him."

Edea considered that for a moment. "Well, at least he will join. I'm sure the Princess will be intrigued by him; he's different from everyone she's already met. She's kind of... bored." She stopped talking, closing the distance between herself and her husband to put an arm around his shoulders. "I'm sure it will work, Cid. Don't be afraid. Rinoa is a fine lady, intelligent and beautiful, and she'll like Squall's mysterious persona. I'm sure. She'll do anything to have his attention, she's just like that."

"I really hope Squall will allow her to," sighed Cid, raising a hand to caress her wife's arm.

"We  _ **must**_  convince him to join the tournament. You said he can't lose. That's all we can do, convince him to join and let him win. After that, it's up to them."

Cid was about to open his mouth to answer, but a gentle knock at the door stopped him. "Come on in," he said. Edea didn't move, almost didn't breathe.

Squall entered, nodding politely to Edea. She smiled, but said nothing: she didn't want him to understand that they were basically trying to set him up with Princess Rinoa.

"Squall... did you come to tell me your decision?" asked Cid.

"Yes sir," answered Squall nodding. "I wanted to ask if you could please explain to me the tournament's rules, because I'd like to join."

Edea beamed.

"There are several direct fights. You will encounter a total of six opponents, chosen randomly before every duel; each of these men are victors from previous battles. If you lose, you must leave the tournament. You have to win every direct fight to reach the final, which will be against last year's victor. If you can beat him too, you will be the tournament's winner. You will be granted privileges and the possibility to know and court Princess Rinoa. The King will decide the SeeD Commander according to the results of this tournament. You are the sixty-fourth SeeD to join. Only the best are allowed to take part this year, and I believe you are the best."

"I will join, then. But please keep in mind I'm not interested in knowing and courting the Princess."

Cid swallowed, feeling Edea's hand tense on his shoulder. "Don't worry. As I told you before, you don't have to."

"Thanks." Squall bowed and left the room.

When she thought Squall was far enough he couldn't hear them, Edea turned to her husband. "You didn't tell him everything."

"If he knew he  _ **must**_  court Princess Rinoa, he would have never joined." Cid turned to look at his wife and smiled, caressing her arm. "Let's hope everything will be fine."

"Yes, let's hope," answered Edea absentmindedly.

* * *

The tournament's day was clear, but cold.

The snow had stopped falling the night before, and now there was a soft, white blanket covering everything. Squall dropped the curtain of his window; he had been looking out to the field where the fights would take place. There were servants clearing the area for the fighters, and other men giving the final touches to the seats where the Royal Family and other noble families would watch.

He started his morning routine, with a slow pace; he didn't want to get tired before his first fight. Cid had told him he needed to win every single duel to win the entire tournament, and have a chance to become SeeD's Commander. He wanted to do exactly that. Being the Commander of SeeD was his dream, after all, maybe the only real goal of his life. He couldn't miss such a chance to obtain this honor.

An hour later, a servant came into his room. The King had called on every SeeD that joined the tournament to wish them good luck and finally start the celebration. Squall finished dressing, checked his gunblade, relaxed his shoulders and followed the servant outside.

The seats were already full of people attending. The Royal Family was in the front row; Squall recognized the King. When Cid nodded to him, he stepped forward, stopping in front of King Caraway to bow and give his regards to the entire Royal Family.

"Squall Leonhart from Esthar, Your Majesties," said Cid, announcing him. Squall looked at Princess Rinoa; she was wearing a white dress that accentuated her pale skin and dark hair. She smiled to him, bowing her head, and he couldn't help but nod.

"Squall Leonhart," said the King, rising from his throne. "Have you been informed of every rule of the tournament you're going to join?"

"Yes, Your Majesty," answered Squall. Edea had instructed him the night before of each ritual of this tournament; everything he had to say, when and what he had to answer, and when he had to bow and when he could leave. He kept stealing glances at the Princess, and he saw her lean towards her mother, whispering something he couldn't understand.

"Squall Leonhart," again said the King. "Are you willing to accept and abide to every single rule of the tournament?"

"Yes, Your Majesty," answered Squall.

"Are you aware that by winning this tournament, you will be granted privileges according to your military rank that may improve your social status?"

"Yes, Your Majesty."

The King motioned to a servant to get a sword, which he placed lightly on both Squall's shoulders. "Then the Royal Family of the United Kingdoms of Centra and Galbadia wish you fair duels. May Hyne guide your sword, and bless you with loyalty and victory."

Squall bowed, getting to one knee, and then raised again to cross lightly his gunblade against the King's sword. It was a ritual Edea had invented years before, something used to distract the Princess from the real - and secret - goal of the tournament: to find someone she could fall in love with.

Squall went back in line and waited for the ending of the ritual, eyeing the other SeeDs that had joined. He thought he could easily win at least three duels; he knew those SeeDs, because he worked and trained with them every day. Then he should be able to win the other two duels, if he had a good strategy, and the last one against Seifer... he had to win. He couldn't lose against him.

Their rivalry was a legend amongst the Royal SeeD Guards.

King Caraway declared the games were now open, and Princess Rinoa rose to drop a veil on the field, signaling the beginning of the first round of duels. Cid called the names of the warriors and Squall found out who was his first adversary.

Zell Dincht.

The first duel was really easy. Zell was strong and fast, but he didn't have the sense of strategy Squall possessed. He started punching and kicking, but Squall managed to see the pattern behind his movements, and after a minute he was able to block Zell's attacks and started counterattacking with his gunblade, pushing him slowly, but steadily, towards the end of the battlefield. Very soon, Zell was down on one knee, with his hand raised to admit defeat, breathing heavily. A woman approached him from the line of the Sorceresses of Healing, charged with curing every warrior after he lost. This was something Queen Julia had been very adamant about when Edea talked about the yearly tournament; nobody should die because they were trying to find Rinoa's true love. She had asked Edea herself to take care of the healing, but year after year more SeeDs joined the tournament, and eventually Edea had to teach someone else to heal the warriors. Now they had five women taking care of healing the wounded and defeated.

After the first round of duels had been completed, Princess Rinoa rose again to drop a second veil on the field. Cid called the warriors; the new adversary for Squall would be Irvine Kinneas.

He knew him too. He was a good guy, a very talented sniper, a little too obsessed with women, and always tried to get Squall to go with him on his "love's trips", as he called them. Squall refused every time, but he actually liked Irvine. If only he would talk about something different, once in a while...

He won the second duel fast. He simply had to wait until Irvine lost his ammo, dodging each bullet before crushing him with the speed and precision of every lunge. Irvine admitted defeat even before falling on his knees.

The ritual of the veil dropping on the ground and Cid calling the winners' names continued, and Squall had to face Nida. He knew this was a slow guy with poor strategy, and much more talented in travels than in battles. He didn't know how he managed to get this far - probably by facing men even weaker than him - but Squall didn't even have to try too hard. He won after a couple of lunges, with Nida almost screaming to spare his life.

The next two duels were a little more challenging for Squall, and he actually liked that. Both used the gunblade too, and he thought he could use them as sparring partners to prepare for Seifer. He managed to disarm the first one after the first five minutes of battle, while the second one was a little more elegant in his movements, and sharper in his strategy. He had to observe him for a while, and that was the longest duel he had to endure so far. After he finally found a pattern in his adversary's movements, he managed to also find a flaw in it. He exploited it as soon as he could.

He was one duel away from winning. Princess Rinoa was clapping in her seat, smiling gracefully.

Cid motioned to Squall to go in front of the King, who rose again from his throne. Again, he took the sword from his bowing servant, and touched it lightly to Squall's shoulders. "Squall Leonhart," said the King, "you fought valiantly and fairly, and reached the final duel of this tournament. Please accept a gift from my daughter, to celebrate and honour the courage, the strength and the loyalty you showed in battle." Rinoa rose slowly, and Squall kept stealing glances at her; she was a very pretty girl, and there was something intriguing about her, something he couldn't really understand. It was simply there. Even if he had seen beautiful women in his life, and sometimes more beautiful than this Princess, he felt attracted to her in a way that almost disturbed him.

Princess Rinoa opened a cloth, containing her gift, and motioned to him to come closer, so she could put it around his neck. It was a silver pendant that felt heavy and cold against his chest, and when he got the chance to look at it closely, he saw it was very similar to the lion adorning his ring. "Sir Kramer told us you may like it," said the Princess. "Consider it a token of our respect to your abilities."

Squall simply nodded, speechless. Vaguely, he thought about what all this meant - he had accepted to join only the day before; that was a jewel that required days of crafting.

"May Hyne assist you in the final duel against last year's winner," said the King. "Seifer Almasy!"

Seifer marched towards the middle of the arena, with that usual smirk Squall knew all to well. Their rivalry was legendary amongst SeeDs and cadets alike; everyone knew that a duel between those two should not be missed, because it was a pure show of great talent and technique. There was always something new to learn from the two most gifted gunblade specialists in the world, as Cid Kramer had stated. This duel felt like the natural conclusion yo their rivalry, and the last tournament held in honour of Princess Rinoa.

When they stood in front of each other, Seifer smirked again, patting his gunblade on his shoulder. "So, couldn't resist, eh?"

"I joined only to have the chance to be Commander," answered Squall, shrugging his shoulders almost indifferently. Seifer gave up; there was no fun in teasing Squall when he didn't give a damn. It was much more fun when he saw a hint of reaction on his impassible face; but now he was only concentrating.

Seifer attacked immediately, lunging at him, but Squall blocked his blow with the blade, pushing him back with all his strength. He immediately recognized it: magic was banned from the tournament, only the Sorceresses of Healing could use it. But there was magic in Seifer's blow, in Seifer's blade, and Squall felt in the surge of power that passed between his rival's gunblade and his own.  _Good_ , he thought, despite his rival's obvious foul play.  _It will be more fun this way_. He pushed and lunged, and found that his own strength was much more than Seifer's, probably thanks to the different gunblades and their usage.

Seifer's sword was much lighter, and he could fight with a free hand, using it to balance himself. It gave him much more speed of movements, and Squall often had to parry his blows, lunging forward after that, but not gaining as much as he wished. However, his heavier blade was more precise, and every blow landed accurately. Seifer got more and more nervous when his strategy didn't work; Squall was a very good observer, and after a while he managed to foresee his rival's moves. He knew that Seifer was up to something, he wouldn't give up so easily, not when the Royal Family was watching and the future of the SeeD Commander was being decided; so he thought he had to be very careful, while trying to corner and disarm Seifer.

But Seifer disarmed him first, making the gunblade swing in the air.

The crowd gasped loudly. Unnoticed, Princess Rinoa sat straighter in her seat, swallowing her anticipation.

If he managed to take the gunblade again, he could keep on fighting, said the tournament rules. So Squall watched carefully the movements of his gunblade in the air, while Seifer was too busy smirking, and he started running. He reached his weapon just before it fell on the ground, and turned swiftly to block Seifer's blow. Annoyed by this turn of events, Seifer grunted and lunged forward with renewed energy, but Squall countered him well enough, pushing him again to a corner of the arena.

The crowd cheered.

Seifer was losing speed, while Squall's accuracy never faltered. He just had to push a little more, and then Seifer would not be able to avoid his blows. But when they reached the furthest corner of the arena, Seifer lost his patience and decided to use magic.

He smirked and charged Squall with a  _Fire_  spell.

Squall faltered, unable to avoid the spell completely. He lost his balance and almost fell, and Seifer kept pushing, hoping to disarm Squall, while a judge shouted "disqualification, disqualification!"

But this was not how Squall wanted to win. He wanted a real end to this duel, something that would remain in the history of this tournament, something so clear and obvious that nobody could say he had won because Seifer had been disqualified.

Seifer, becoming crueler knowing that he'd been disqualified and had subsequently lost, raised his blade to Squall's face, cutting his forehead deeply. Squall stumbled back, covering his wound with his hand, while his red blood stained the arena. The rage for what he considered a humiliation deepened, and charged his gunblade to a very powerful blow. He cut the air with his blade, making a similar wound on Seifer's forehead, and then he moved the blade quickly to his wrist. The sound of bones breaking under the blow of the flat steel was deafening and horrible. Seifer dropped his gunblade, falling on one knee.

The cheering of the crowd declared Squall the winner before the judges could do so. He immediately felt the rush of healing magic in his veins, running to his forehead and stopping the blood.

And finally he could turn and watch the crowd, celebrating his victory,  _ **believing**_  in his victory, and he knew he had never felt so proud in his life.

He purposely took his time to cross the arena, to stand in front of the Royal Family, enjoying every single moment of it, but his impassible face didn't change. When he finally reached the other end of the arena, he scratched his head, turning towards the crowd to make a slightly awkward salute. The crowd cheered even more, and he turned to face the King, who had already risen from his throne to declare him the winner.

King Caraway cleared his throat, and suddenly there was silence in the arena. "You fought valiantly, and you even faced adversity with great courage and strength. You abilities are most precious to us. I am very glad to declare you have won this tournament, " and he had to wait for the cheering to subside, "and that you won fairly against an adversary who played foul. It is an honour to reward you with the title of Sir." He again marked his shoulders with the sword, and then he stepped forward to present it to him. "Please, accept this sword as a symbol of your victory."

Squall nodded and took the sword.

Then, Princess Rinoa rose from her seat and walked in front of Squall. She turned to her mother, who gave her something wrapped in a golden cloth. The Princess turned again towards the winner, smiled gracefully and opened the cloth.

Inside there was a blue rose, an undying blue rose from the fated bush that marked the Princess' time on this world. Gently, she picked the flower, and bowing, getting down on one knee, she gave the rose to Squall.

"Please accept this gift from me, Sir Leonhart."

Squall took the rose hesitantly. There was something beautiful and at the same time dreadful in that flower. Everyone knew what it represented.

"Thanks, Your Highness," answered Squall, swallowing and moving the flower from one hand to the other. Its stem was incredibly soft, he found himself thinking, like silk.

Then the Princess raised her hands to her hair, taking off the veil she wore, the one she used to mark the beginning of every duel. "This, my sir," she said, handing it to Squall, "is a token of my engagement to you, for tonight's celebratory ball. Please accept it as you accept me as your dame for the evening."

"I do, Your Highness," answered again Squall, nodding.

He didn't knew what he was agreeing to.

* * *

The celebratory ball had already started when Squall arrived.

He really didn't want to attend, but Cid and Edea had been very firm on this: they basically said he had to go, if he still wanted to have the chance to become the Commander. He didn't really understand why something so mundane was so necessary, but had decided to be careful, so to speak. He needed to show his talent to the King, but he also had to be as agreeable as a future Commander should be; so he wore his uniform, with the new flash on it, to show that he'd won the yearly tournament. A part of him was really proud of this accomplishment; this was the last tournament held in Centra, and he would be the last winner. He would be remembered for this.

When he entered the ballroom, he immediately spotted the Royal Family. Cid was talking to the King, with Edea by his side; as soon as she saw him, she waved. He sighed, straightened his shoulders and went to meet them.

King Caraway and Queen Julia were very elegant; the King was wearing his most precious mantle, and the Queen had a deep red dress adorned with gold. The Princess had a simpler cream dress that left her shoulders naked. He didn't notice he was staring a little too directly at her until she blushed.

The King greeted him with warmth and respect, and that gave Squall something else to be proud about. The Queen smiled and congratulated him on his victory; and then, Princess Rinoa bowed.

"Sir Leonhart, I hope you will enjoy your stay at the castle," said the King.

Squall turned to look at him, a little dumbfounded. "Excuse me?"

"I've already told my servants to prepare your apartment here. You will occupy the north wing, the one nearer to the training fields, so you can check on your fellow SeeDs."

"Sir, I don't think I understand," said Squall, looking at Cid quickly. The older man simply lowered his eyes, finding something extremely interesting in his shoes. Edea was talking to a maid, so he didn't have their support.

"You accepted the rules, Sir Leonhart," said the King, almost sternly.

Rinoa was watching him a little surprised; he really wanted to understand what was going on.

"Yes Your Majesty, I did," he answered.

"You have to spend six months in our castle, living with the Royal Family. You can even court my daughter; she will be the one to teach you everything about society's rules, so you'll be spending many hours a day with her. We need to be sure you can measure up to the privileges you've been granted, since you won the tournament."

It was a nice excuse, thought Squall, while he watched Cid. So he was basically trapped. He had to follow every rule of the tournament if he still wanted to be considered the winner; so he did have to live with the Royal Family and spend all that time with the Princess. Too bad Cid had "forgotten" to tell him what all that was about; he didn't have the  _possibility_  to court the Princess, he basically  _had to_ , since he was going to spend several hours per day with her. He had to be gentle, elegant... he had to be everything he wasn't.

"We'll get to know you better. We'll be eating together every day for six months. I really want to know the person who I'm considering giving the title of SeeD Commander to."

"Of course, Your Majesty," answered Squall, still thinking about the enormity of the situation he found himself in, without even knowing it. He simply thought it was a chance for his career. Now he was finding out what he really accepted when told Cid that he'd join.

Music started, and Rinoa lifted her eyes to Squall. "This is the first song for the evening," she said. "I hope you remember my offer."

"Of course, Your Highness," he said, and moved stiffly so she could take his arm. He guided her to the dance floor, and then, when she was already in his arms, he sheepishly admitted, "I can't dance, though."

"It's easy. You'll be fine," she answered, and then started moving, following the music. Squall tried to follow as best as he could, but he stepped on her feet, making her stumble. She didn't seem to worry, though; she simply adjusted her position again and started dancing. This time he seemed a little more secure about it, but when she tried to spin, he wasn't ready - and basically didn't understand what she was trying to do - and stumbled hard against her. "You're getting better, don't worry, just relax," she said, and Squall sneered: he wasn't getting any better and her words were not reassuring at all. They tried again; even Squall felt that he was getting better at dancing, and he was almost relaxing, when a sudden move from Rinoa, probably thinking he could handle it, made them collide against another couple. It was Nida and his companion for the evening, and when he turned, annoyed, to see who disturbed him, he noticed Squall with a confused expression on his face, and then the Princess showing her tongue. He shut up and went back to his dance.

"I'm leaving," muttered Squall under his breath, but Rinoa stopped him, with a smile. It was that same graceful smile that she had shown all day - tranquil, serene, a little melancholy, but always sincere. He felt that he should at least try to dance better, and immersed himself in the rhythm of the music, trying to find the pattern beneath it. It was almost like his morning gunblade routine, precise movements, following a specific pattern. Practice was like dancing, after all, and when he nodded Rinoa smiled and started again.

This time the dance went smoothly, with almost no mistakes - at least, no mistakes as embarrassing as stumbling against his dame or against his comrades. He had observed these movements from afar, the years before. He'd hoped he would be the one to have the honour of dancing with the Princess, one day, because it meant he'd won the most prestigious tournament in the world. He followed his memory, using his observation skills and applying them to dancing, and when they stopped, almost breathless, Rinoa was against his chest. He almost didn't know how he managed to do it.

Fireworks exploded above them, and the crowd started to clap. He felt he almost had to tear his eyes away from the Princess, because he was starting to feel that strange attraction again - she had something so beautiful in her, so sincere and serene, and yet so sad... he just didn't understand it, and he felt threatened by her eyes. She was watching him carefully, almost expectantly, and when he turned to look at the fireworks she smiled. That was the first time she saw him relaxed, she thought.

She bowed gently to him, before excusing herself to go back to her father and mother. Squall watched as she walked away, her dress trailing behind her, her hips moving with elegance. She was petite and strong, beautiful and sad, and she had only six months left to live.

It left a bad taste in his mouth.

And then, as he walked towards Cid because he wanted to really know the rules he accepted when he joined the tournament, he understood. Everything was clear, now, but he only wanted someone to confirm it.

When he reached Cid, the older man seemed almost too awkward to look at him. "So, I  _have_  to court the Princess because I'm her last chance... am I wrong?"

Cid looked at him. "Yes. The tournament is an excuse... Princess Rinoa can't leave the castle. She wouldn't meet anyone, and she couldn't fall in love if we didn't do something... Edea thought we could try with a tournament. We could have young men at the castle, she could talk to someone, meet someone, maybe fall in love... that's why you have to live here, since you won. We thought six month could be enough... Edea thinks you're the right man. Please, don't be mad with us... we just did what we thought was best for both of you. Please-"

"You're talking like my fate has already been decided," said Squall, putting a hand on his forehead.

"It isn't," answered Cid.

"But I'm trapped here."

"Maybe it won't be a trap."

Squall sighed. "I need to know every single rule of the tournament."

So Cid started explaining, and Squall started to feel even more trapped.

* * *

 _ **Author's note**_ : many thanks to Ashbear, who beta-read this in record time! Every mistake that may be still in the chapter is totally my fault. I hope you like the story so far… I hope I will have more time to write it in December. November has been crazy as NaNoWriMo can be, but I probably won :)


	3. II: Duel

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Note: I usually like AUs that include scenes (even if revisited) from the game. So I'll try to include them too, as I did with Squall's duel with Seifer, and the dance scene. Hope this won't ruin the story. Also, I inserted a piano, even though I know it couldn't be there. Still, I liked the idea of Julia playing and Rinoa playing too, so I thought I'd go with an artistic license.  
> The park in this chapter and the next is based on Boboli Gardens in Florence, Italy. I just changed the names of fountains and statues to suit the story - so, for example, Neptune has become Leviathan. The Italian wikipedia has lots of pictures of this garden (there's also the one about Neptune Fountain); just search for Giardino di Boboli. There's also an official site and you can take a virtual tour. I assure you it's worth it. I'll post the links on my account, though :)  
> Plus I'm really really sorry about the delay. I suck at updating my Italian stories too, but at least I write them more frequently... English is my second language and these last months have been a little hard, plus I'm still kinda recovering from NaNoWriMo. Writing was difficult in Italian, in English it was even worse. And I'm also sorry about not replying to reviews - that's just because I think my motto is "yeah, ok, I'll do it tomorrow." I promise I'll do it (and hopefully not tomorrow).  
> Please feel free to mention grammar mistakes - I like to improve :) This chapter has been betaread by Ashbear (and she has all my love: she had to put up with me mixing Italian and English, sometimes XD), and I can finally have a cover for the story, too! The image is a gift by Ronin-ai. So thanks to both these awesome ladies and on with the story (finally XD!).

  
**THE WINTER ROSE** **  
** **II. Duel**   


When he opened his eyes, the following morning, he found himself in a four poster bed that reminded him what happened the day before.

He had won.

He had become a hero.

He had a nice, cool pendant on his chest reminding him also how much Cid Kramer had fooled him: he had examined it closely before falling asleep, and realized there was no way a jeweler could create it on such a short notice. He had joined the tournament only a day before it actually started; still, he couldn't deny that it was something he really liked. He didn't know who would choose a gift like that, but whoever did, knew him well.

He didn't particularly like the idea of being fooled, though. The evening before he had demanded to know every single rule of the tournament... and somewhere along the line wished he hadn't. They were basically looking for a perfect fairy tale prince that would sweep the princess off her feet, and he surely wasn't the right person to do it... unless they were looking for a warrior.

Still, he had to abide to every rule... breakfast and 'socializing' included.

So he got up, drew the curtains of his bed and found, on a nearby table, a neatly written note. He immediately recognized Cid's handwriting, and he groaned - he really didn't want to know what he had to say, and he also really didn't like servants entering his room when he was still asleep. The note, though, just informed him that he would receive, sometime during the day, the entire list of rules of the tournament. Could he please just join the Royal Family for breakfast and meet him after that on the training grounds?

Squall grunted - not that he had much choice in the matter - and started to get dressed. He thought about taking the gunblade with him - he was not really sure about breakfast etiquette, but even he could understand that weapons were not allowed. So he simply cleaned it, checked if he had enough bullets and prepared it for later. And then he realized he was simply stalling. With a sigh, he exited the room and asked the first servant he passed by where he should go.

The Royal Family was already seated when he entered the dining room. The King rose to greet him, and the two women simply bowed. He saluted and then took the seat the King was offering him.

"I'm very pleased to see you up so early, Sir Leonhart," said the King. "Usually, winners take their time on the first morning after the duel."

"I feel rested enough, thank you," answered Squall.

"You seem very serious," observed the Queen, eyeing him above her cup of tea. "It's not something we see very often. We really appreciate it."

Squall nodded. "Thanks."

Only the Princess didn't say anything. Her parents kept talking to him, trying to know more about him; they asked about his family, about his accomplishments in SeeD. They wanted to keep him occupied, apparently, and Squall noticed, now and then, the Queen would compliment him on something. That left him a little stunned - he didn't think he had good manners enough to mingle with Kings and Queens, but according to Queen Julia, past winners weren't as 'elegant' and 'serious' as he was. Elegant wasn't a word he would use to refer to himself... serious, maybe. The King however seemed to think the same, and what started as a casual conversation became a list of compliments he awkwardly accepted, not knowing what to do with it.

The Princess was silent for the entire time. He watched her, when her parents talked about her, about the time they had to spend together according to the tournament's rules... but she simply smiled and watched him, listened to him, and that unnerved him even more than the compliments and the small talk. Her eyes had the same beautiful and melancholic expression they had the night before, when they danced together... and there was also something he didn't have the time to understand, because he was 'serious' and had 'good manners' and shifted his gaze every time the Queen or the King talked to him.

The Princess' gaze seemed almost calculating, and he didn't know why.

Did she know about the rules? Did she know what he was expected to do?

Then, finally, breakfast was over and the Queen and the King rose to excuse themselves. Squall rose to excuse himself too, but the King stopped him, simply raising his hand. "Please enjoy your meal, Sir Leonhart," he said. "We have urgent affairs to tend to, but we don't want to cut short your breakfast. My daughter will be delighted to keep you company."

And with that, they left, leaving him alone with the Princess, who was drinking her tea.

"You were... pretty silent," said Squall carefully, not knowing how to talk to her. He was a supposed suitor, eager to marry her... what did the other winners do when this happened to them? Did they jump at the possibility to be alone with the Princess? Surely they didn't look as scared as he had to look now...

But when he looked at the Princess, she seemed as nervous as he was. Maybe the other winners didn't have the possibility to be alone with her...?

"My parents are... a little overwhelming to the tournament winners," she said, giggling a little behind her hand. "I guess it's because the winners have the opportunity to spend a lot of time with me... and they're overprotective." Then, as an afterthought, she added, "you were the only one to show up for breakfast the day after the tournament. Everyone else basically arrived when it was over. My parents tend to judge a lot... I think they really appreciate you. They never left me with a winner, before."

 _Or maybe they just hope they can speed up everything by leaving us alone. Maybe they simply think that if we're alone we'll fall in love and marry faster._  That thought, however, left a bad taste in his mouth. It reminded him that this girl had only a few months left.

"We should talk about the time we'll spend together," she said, and Squall turned his head to look at her. "Usually, winners used mornings to train with SeeD, and the afternoon to stay with me... you're free to do what you want in the evenings, after dinner."

"It's fine," answered Squall nodding. "I'd like to train more." He was silent for a while, as if waiting for her to continue, but when she didn't say anything he added, "I just... don't really know what I'm expected to do."

The Princess giggled. "I expect you to simply call me Rinoa," she said. "As for everything else... you'll figure it out soon. There's nothing difficult, really. You just need to... get used to it."

There was silence after this, and they both finished their meals.

Rinoa was the first to rise from her seat. "I have to see Edea for my lessons," she said to excuse herself. "I guess we'll see each other later, Sir Leonhart."

"Squall," he said, and then thought he did sound a little harsh. "I mean, you can simply call me Squall. Please."

"Squall," she said nodding. "Have a good day."

With that she left, and Squall couldn't help but watch the little sway of her hips as she walked away from him.

* * *

The sky was clear, that day, and it stopped snowing the night before.

The training grounds were still snowy, though, and Rinoa watched her new awkward suitor training from her privileged position in the library, near a warm fire, with Edea playing a piano sonata behind her, so she could listen and understand how she should play it. She was distracted, though; there was something in Sir Leonhart - Squall, she kept reminding herself - that was completely different from what she saw in every other winner, the years before. There had been winners that were direct, asking for her hand during the first breakfast together; winners that couldn't stop bragging about themselves; winners that simply saw her as a political pawn. Winners like Seifer, who just figured they could have the girl as simply as they had won the tournament, and had turned really bitter when she flat out refused them.

But Squall... he was nothing like that. The evening before, when they were dancing together, he had been particularly careful not to touch her in inappropriate places - not all the winners had the same courtesy - and she didn't expect him at breakfast. He was respectful, he was serious, he didn't brag - she thought he didn't like talking about himself - and was really focused. He lacked everything that she had despised in the other winners, and had everything she may desire in a person she was forced to spend many hours a day with.

Or at least, that was what she figured.

Now he was on the training grounds, fighting with monsters let loose on SeeDs. She even admired the way he fought: clean, clever, following a precise pattern mysterious to everyone else. He was good, even if the ground was slippery for the snow. It seemed he could devise a new strategy every time the one he'd chosen failed.

It would be an interesting-

"Rinoa?"

Edea had stopped playing the piano and was behind her. She had tried calling the Princess a few times, getting no response from the girl, she decided to simply touch her shoulder. There was a secretive smile on her lips, though - it seemed everything was going according to plan. The Princess seemed very attracted to the young man she had chosen. Everything would be fine, she simply knew it.

"Will you send him the message?" asked Rinoa, turning away from the window to look at her governess.

"Are you sure you want to do it?"

Rinoa sighed, turning again to look at Squall, who was now engaged in a heated battle against a T-Rex.

"I need to know if he's skilled enough."

"I can assure you he is."

"I want to see it myself, Edea."

"Rinoa-"

"You were the one who said it was necessary. You were the one who encouraged me to do it, you even covered me every time, so my parents wouldn't know. I don't understand-"

"Trust me as you've always done. I can assure you he is skilled enough. That will not be a problem with Squall."

"I want to do it nonetheless. I  _ **need**_  to. I trust you," said Rinoa, moving to take her governess' hands in her own. "I trust you with my life. I love you like I love my mother, because we share something special my mother doesn't know anything about. I  _ **know**_  that if you say he's skilled enough, then he surely is. I just want to do it. I want to... feel it. Look at him." She moved, so Edea could see Squall too. "Look at him and tell me you wouldn't do it, if you were me."

Edea watched Squall for a few minutes, and then sighed.

"You were the one who told me it must be done like this, Edea. I don't want to do it in any other way."

"I'll give him the message personally," conceded Edea. "And I'll be nearby, if you need my help."

"I'm Sorceress Rinoa, the Mistress of Pure Magic. I'll manage," said Rinoa. But then, as an afterthought, she added, "but I would greatly appreciate your help, Sorceress Edea, Mistress of Nature and Healing. Just let me handle him... alone."

* * *

When he stumbled into his apartment just before lunch was served, Squall found Edea sitting quietly in a chair next to the fireplace.

He immediately straightened his shoulders and bowed to the woman, trying to control his annoyance; he really didn't like people entering his rooms when he wasn't there or when he was sleeping. He really had to start locking his doors.

"Squall," said Edea, rising to greet him. "Or should I call you Sir Leonhart?" she continued, with a small proud smile.

"Squall is fine, please," answered the boy, with his gunblade on his shoulder. "Is there something I can do for you?"

"Actually, I have something for you." Edea fidgeted and Squall noticed only then that she had something in her hands. A note, with a delicate handwriting on it, and the Royal Seal. "The Princess asked me to give you this." She handed him the paper and Squall took it, opening it to read it. It smelled like flowers, he noticed - like the blue rose that was still on his nightstand.

It smelled like sadness.

He shook his head and started reading the message.

_Sir Leonhart,_

_please meet me in the Garden tonight, after the clock tower strikes twelve. I will be at the end of the amphitheatre, near Leviathan Fountain._

_I'll be waiting._

_R_

It was really strange. The Princess asking him to meet her in the Gardens after midnight?

"If you don't know where the amphitheatre is," said Edea, "I will gladly help you."

"It's fine, I know where it is," answered Squall, still thinking about what that all meant. "I just... I mean, can she..."

Edea smiled a little, covering her mouth with her hand. "If you're asking if it's proper, you don't have to worry. I'll be nearby. Just... remember to bring your weapon. I'm sure Cid has assigned you Guardian Forces when you won the tournament... bring them too."

Squall looked even more dumbfounded. "I don't think I understand..."

"You will. Trust me. Just bring your weapon and your Guardian Forces." With that, she bowed and exited the room.

Squall thought about that note for the entire time he spent freshening up before lunch, and then for the entire journey from his apartment to the dining room. There, he saw that Princess Rinoa was standing near the window, alone; the King and Queen hadn't arrived yet, and he thought he could try to talk about her strange request. He went near her, bowing respectfully and addressing her. "Princ- I mean, Rinoa... I received your note."

The Princess turned, her mouth open, but then she widened her eyes, and before he could ask her why, she went past him to bow to her father and mother. Then she turned, while her parents acknowledged him too, and looked at him in a way that clearly meant that her note should not be discussed in front of Queen Julia and King Caraway. He thought he could address that issue in the afternoon, and he kept watching her during lunch, and noticed she was a little less at ease than before. He wondered what all that meant - why meet him at night, when they literally had to spend several hours together? What could she want to tell him that her parents shouldn't hear? Why Edea was her accomplice in that matter?

He soon had the answer to the first question. The Princess led him to the library, an enormous room full of basically every book ever written in the world. He noticed the cheerful expression she got entering the room, and guessed that she didn't have many other choices, living a very sheltered life: she had very few visitors, once in a while, and probably no past winner was interesting enough. Books were really her only means to escape from the cruel fate that kept alone, living in eternal winter.

But they weren't alone that afternoon. Queen Julia was in a corner of the room, with her embroidery work, and keeping a watchful eye on them both. He couldn't risk talking about the note, then: he had the distinct impression it was not something her mother knew about, and probably something she shouldn't even know. So he struggled through a conversation with the Princess, something awkward they both felt they had to do so they could say they 'knew each other a little better' and move on, and waited for his night encounter.

He just hoped that his other two questions would get answered too.

* * *

The night was silent, illuminated only by the full moon. There were no stars in the sky, and Squall sighed upon reaching the amphitheatre; no stars usually meant bad weather in the morning. He really didn't feel like training in the rain... he would do it anyway, of course, but that didn't mean he had to like it. At the moment, however, he was only worried about the impending encounter; he really didn't understand what was happening, and he didn't like things he didn't understand.

Life was much simpler when you understood things, and having an extremely logical mind really helped in that department.

He decided to lean against a pillar, while waiting for the Princess to come; he noticed a distant light near the trees, and he imagined it was Edea. He had to wonder about that - why did the governess of the Princess help her in a night encounter with a man? It wasn't proper at all - at least where he came from - and Edea hadn't struck him as someone who would break rules.

A fluttering noise suddenly filled the air, and Squall turned to watch in awe a figure approaching him... flying. It was like a light in the sky, with those white, extended wings, and in that moment even the dress seemed bright. He knew there was something wrong, he knew he saw something that really wasn't there... but still, he couldn't think of another way of describing the girl coming towards him. Light.

The wings gently guided the Princess towards him, and he noticed he had his mouth wide open only when she landed, with beautiful grace, and she smirked a little at his reaction.

"Princess," he said, curtly, quite forgetting the rules of etiquette - and also the rule she'd established when she asked him to call her simply Rinoa. Then he noticed what she was wearing: a light blue dress that reached her ankles behind, but was very short in the front, a pair of black shorts and a black vest, and boots that reached her knees. Interesting choice, he thought, but then he realized that, having to fly like that, it was probably the most comfortable.

Wait a moment - why fly? Couldn't she simply walk there?

"I couldn't," replied Rinoa, and only then he realized he had asked the question out loud. "I wouldn't be able to reach this place, if I used normal means... I resorted to flying years ago. That way, I can reach this part of the Garden without the guards realizing it, since they are usually on the other side. It's faster and simpler for me."

"I... see." There was a long silence. Rinoa didn't retract her wings, and he watched her curiously, wearily. Then he cleared his throat and asked her, "So, you wanted to see me?"

She nodded, and suddenly he saw on her face the same melancholy expression he had noticed at the ball, the evening before. She walked past him, staring at the amphitheatre opening in front of her. She didn't remember ever really using it - not for the reasons it was built, anyway. There were no shows under the snow.

"Do you know who I really am, Sir Leonhart?"

"Please, call me Squall-"

"I can't." She shook her head, her hair falling against her white, bright wings - night against light. "Not in this circumstance, anyway."

"Fine," he said curtly. "I know you are the Princess of Centra and Galbadia, and that you've been cursed as a child."

He heard a soft noise coming from her, a sort of vocalized, bitter smile that made him a little sad.

"The day I was cursed," she started, turning to look into his eyes, "the magic that Sorceress Ultimecia, the Mistress of Time and Space, used on me seeped into my skin and made me a Sorceress too. Sorceress Edea, the Mistress of Nature and Healing, infused me with some magic after that. Those powers grew with me.  _ **If**_  I live to see my nineteenth birthday, I must find a Knight to balance my powers and use them as a gift to help people, not as a curse to destroy them."

"I didn't know, Princess."

"No one does," she answered, absently rubbing her right hand on her left elbow, watching for a moment the trees where Edea was hidden, waiting. Then she turned to him once more, and said, "I am Sorceress Rinoa, the Mistress of Pure Magic."

Squall did a stiff bow.

"I asked you to meet me here because I think you are aware,  _ **now**_ , of what my parents expect from you."

Squall felt himself blushing slightly - so she  _ **had**_  realized, the evening before, that he was completely clueless. He crossed his arms on his chest, tearing his eyes away from her. "Cid Kramer talked me into joining the tournament... but he informed me only of the rules he thought I needed to know."

Rinoa giggled a little, but that small laugh sounded empty to his ears. He watched her again. "You wouldn't have joined if you knew them all, would you?"

He thought for a moment. "I... don't really know. Maybe I would, since I got the chance to become Commander... no use thinking about the past, though. What's done is done."

She nodded, and after a heavy sigh, she continued. "As I said, I need to find my Knight. Edea helped me master my powers, all these years... and she told me also  _ **how**_  I should find him."

If she wanted an answer, she didn't get one, so she simply shrugged a little and said, "I'm sure Cid gave you some Guardians, since you won the tournament, didn't he?"

Squall nodded. "He gave me Quetzalcoatl and Shiva."

She looked thoughtful. "The Guardian of Storms... and the Guardian of Winter?" Silence. She tilted her head. "How very... becoming."

"How so?" he asked, more than a little puzzled.

"Because you look... calm. Collected. A little cold. Definitely conflicted."

He fell silent, and crossed his arms on his chest again, avoiding her gaze. "Whatever." How could she read him so well?

"Did you bring your weapon and your Guardians, Sir Leonhart?"

"I did."

"I need to know... I need to know if you really are the one that can break my curse, Sir Leonhart. But it doesn't mean anything if you can't handle me as a Sorceress. I need to know if you can be my husband  _ **and**_  my Knight. If you can't, I might as well die on my eighteenth birthday."

Squall looked at her, eyes suspiciously narrowed. "How?"

"A duel."

He looked taken aback. "With whom?"

She laughed, then, and clasped her hands in front of herself, in a gesture that almost made him think she was grasping that strange ring she wore on her necklace. But when she extended her arm back, a silver light grew and grew around it, in a slow spiral, until it became a weapon. A sword.

A gunblade.

"With me, Sir Leonhart. Junction with your Guardians."

He slowly, wearily drew his own weapon, while she moved her legs into a ready stance. "To know if you really can handle me as a Sorceress, I need to challenge you... and I must lose." Squall felt in his mind the presence of Quetzalcoatl and Shiva, moving them around to adjust their power, feeling the icy bite of winter and the stormy clouds settle in his thoughts, drawing strength from the secret power of memory. "Defeat me, and I'll know you're a worthy Knight."

She raised her weapon, and Squall did the same, touching lightly the blades together, to signal he had accepted the challenge.

And then, with a smile, she moved forward and started the fight.

She was a worthy opponent. He now understood why she told him to Junction; there was no way he could win without their help. The sheer force behind her blows was precise, definite, very different from the magic he had felt in Seifer's blade the day before. Her power was raw, strong and full, almost intense, and she also had a fine technique in fighting with the gunblade. He thought, for a brief second, that dueling with her more often would be interesting, before she launched forward in a series of lunges that made him move back quickly. He tried to study her routine, the way she moved, tried to understand the way she planned her attacks, but failed to do so. It wasn't Princess Rinoa dueling with him, it was Sorceress Rinoa and the glittering magic that fluttered in her veins made her wings tremble a little. And he sure could see why she was deemed the Mistress of Pure Magic.

He blocked a blow, raising his weapon above his head, and they stayed like that for a few second, watching each other, panting heavily, until she smirked and lowered her weapon. A little fascinated, Squall watched her as she tilted her head, being careful not to lower his defenses for a moment.

"You know," she said, "you're the only winner that survived that string of blows."

He simply narrowed his eyes, without giving her a verbal answer at first, but then he said, "I have the strength of the Guardians."

"They had it too."

She then drew back, extending her right arm. The silver light that made the gunblade appear in her hand engulfed the weapon again, making it disappear into thin air.

Squall watched her, raising his weapon again. Rinoa giggled a little, and said, "Let's see if you're so strong against magic too."

In that moment, Squall realized the difference between the magic granted by the Guardians and the raw magic running in a Sorceress' veins. There was nothing that could warn him about the spell that hit him; it simply hit. He hadn't even noticed if there were telltale signs of magic - Rinoa hadn't even gathered energy. She had simply cast.

The  _Fire_  spell was still weak, but strong enough to take his breath away when it crashed on him. He felt the intensity of its burning energy, his skin became red from the contact, and not even a second later, a  _Blizzard_  engulfed him - it shattered all around him and painful shards pierced his flesh.

"See what I mean?" she asked, gently, almost innocently twirling a strand of her hair around her finger.

He sure as hell saw what she meant. He needed to be fast, accurate, and act almost without thinking.

Pure battle instinct drew him closer to her. He wearily watched her, while they moved around each other carefully. She looked almost amused, and he finally noticed, in her eyes, a glint of gold. Her magic. The Power of a Sorceress, something he had grown up fearing.

He launched to his right to avoid the  _Thunder_  that cracked the amphitheatre's pavement. Rinoa spun around, secretly impressed by his speed. She knew it, she simply knew it. She had foreseen this while watching him fight during the tournament, against Seifer, and in his morning training routine... she had known then. Edea was right; she didn't need to fight him.

...But she  _ **had wanted to**_ , because it meant a sweeter surrender.

He reflected a  _Firaga_  with his weapon, making the gunblade spin in the air to cool down, and he was ready to use it again against her when she cast  _Thundaga._ He moved quickly out of the spell's range when she tried a  _Slow_ , and that magic clock shattered almost in her fingers before she could stop the casting of the spell, and she waved her hand as if burnt by a flame, immediately casting  _Water_  and managing only to make the ground a little slippery. She tried almost every spell she knew, tiring herself out, dipping into the secret abyss of her magic to use the most powerful spells. There was no way she could win. He had found something - something only a real Knight could notice - and he had used that something to keep moving, keep avoiding, keep wearing her out to the surrender she craved, to the surrender  _ **her magic**_  craved.

Finally, she found a powerful spell she didn't even know she had, and cast it almost faintly, whispering  _Meteor_  in a way that resonated through the entire amphitheatre. Squall stopped, fascinated, and watched as the sky changed from cold, serene and completely black to a deep blue blanket of shining stars. He knew what this was, he knew he had to move, but he felt like his feet were glued to the ground; he turned his head upward, to watch the meteor shower that would hit him, without noticing that Rinoa had fallen on her knees, utterly spent. The universe seemed to wrap around them, until they were the only creatures alive in that world... and the meteors stopped, disintegrating before hitting him, before hitting her, falling to the ground in a shower of glistening, clinking magic. It felt like watching the sea hit by the sun in summer; it felt like hearing a myriad of glasses shattering in a cascade of broken crystal.

He was still engrossed by the sheer beauty of the entire spell when he heard Rinoa's ragged breath.

"Princess, are... are you fine?"

"Yes," she said, while he moved to cautiously help her to her feet again. "It seems like you defeated me, Sir Leonhart."

He said nothing; he didn't know how he should answer to that.

"What was that?" he answered, still enchanted by the deadly meteor shower he had avoided without even realizing it.

"It's the magic that will tie us together, Sir Leonhart.  _Meteor_  is our universe."

Squall blinked. He didn't really understand what this meant. Well, that wasn't right - he guessed, vaguely, that he hadn't been hit because of this.

"You are a Knight, Sir Leonhart. It is your nature to be a Knight. You may not be  _ **my**_  Knight, but still... you're destined to be one." She let the silence stretch between them, waiting for him to say something. When he didn't speak, she continued, "If you become my Knight,  _Meteor_  will be our universe. The stars, the sky... the ancient and forbidden books describe it as a... mental background. Like a scenery to the show of your thoughts, Sir. In that scenery, your thoughts would become ours.  _ **My**_  thoughts would become ours."

She laughed a little when he let go of her hand, a little taken aback by this unexpected news. "How very... becoming."

He wanted to do a lot of things in that moment - he wanted to ask questions, he wanted to yell at her, he wanted to know her, he wanted to fight her again, to feel again the sheer power of her magic against his blade, running from her fingers into his veins, he wanted to wipe that melancholy expression from her face, and most of all he wanted to know why she thought it was very becoming for him to have the Guardian of Storms and the Guardian of Winter, and how she had described him so perfectly without even knowing him, and why she thought  _Meteor_  was a nice universe for them.

He had already opened his mouth to speak, but the voice of Edea softly whispering  _Regen_  blocked him. He did a stiff bow to the Princess, and left without a word, walking rigidly towards the castle.

Rinoa watched him leave, and she felt Edea's hand on her shoulder. "So, is he worthy enough?"

"Our universe is  _Meteor_ ," she whispered, and she didn't hear Edea saying that she told her.

It didn't matter that Edea told her. She had wanted to surrender; her magic had craved that surrender and she had found it in the most beautiful and intense spell in the world. Her mind longed for the scenery she had just tasted, for the connection she had just saw a glimpse of.

 _Meteor_ , she thought, watching her cold, calm, a little less collected, but definitely more conflicted Knight.

 _Very becoming indeed_.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Author's notes: I named Rinoa the Sorceress of Pure Magic thanks to the Final Fantasy Wikia. The page on Sorceress Powers gave me a few ideas, and that's why I chose an 'official' name for every Sorceress, with the only exception of Edea (the Wikia says she has power in Ice, but it didn't really make sense in my story). As for the Guardian Forces, I wanted to use an 'official' name as I did for Sorceresses... I simply used their element or abilities to name them.  
> Also, for Rinoa's duel with Squall... it wasn't planned, as everything that derives from it (like Meteor being their universe... I don't really know, seriously). It was a kinda spur of the moment scene, just because I wanted Squall to admire her ability but don't like her personality at the beginning, since Rinoa was already admiring him, and also because I didn't really want her to be simply a sweet Princess in need of her Prince Charming. That does not really explain why she would try to kick her Prince Charming's ass, but oh well, writing that scene was kinda fun. Her entrance and the duel are inspired by her appearance in Dead Fantasy II, in which she's really strong (and I like the idea of her using a gunblade). That video also has an interesting way to show magic. Watch it if you haven't already.  
> Thanks again :)


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